American troops in Russia

Just did a blog report with links about the American Expeditionary Force in Russia (1918-1919). American troops were there for a variety of reasons- though they were eventually considered invaders. I found several good links to US Polar Bear regiments (with photos!).

Do you think Wilson was inept in sending troops to Russia?

(ie he was too short-sighted perhaps in his glee at seeing the Tsar fall, failing to realize the Reds would come into power?)

I believe the original intent of the expedition was to protect US investment in munitions being transported to Archangel and Murmansk, but by the time US troops arrived in Russia in September 1918, the Allies were crushing the Germans in the West, so I doubt there was any real fear of US investment falling into German hands.
The Reds were in power by the time the US arrived, so Wilson's mission by that time was solely the eradication of the Reds. Just as European powers had formed a coalition against revolutionary France more than a century before, the Allied powers, including the US, had effectively formed a coalition to stop the communist revolution in its tracks.
Perhaps Wilson was short-sighted in sending over a billion dollars of weapons to Kerenksy's government without realizing the instability of the sitution. Kerensky's government was never popular, since it continued to prosecute the losing war with Germany.

THANK YOU Russian History Blogger for investigating this bit of US History that is routinely hidden from most of America's youth. It's EXTREMELY significant. It puts to bed the argument that the Soviets were "paranoid" about the West - what would your reaction have been if YOU were invaded by foreign powers in the middle of a revolution?

Not only the US but also several other nations invaded Russia during the time. This is why the USSR had horrible relations with the West because the west screwed over the eventual victors and refused to apologize for what they did.

I rememeber reading a while ago that one of the main reasons the British pulled thier men out was because the men were becoming symapthetic to the Red's cause and typical of the ruling class of the time (and now ) become scared shitless and decided it they had to stop these awful ideas reaching England and accordingly pulled them out.

The French fleet at Sevastopol mutinied in support of the Reds, plus the French were temporarily kicked out of Odessa, so they soon packed their stuff and left, leaving lots of supplies and materials to be used by Denikin.

Ummmm - Comrade Dariuz? The US sort of BOUGHT that portion of the US from Russia. They weren't invading - they owned it Smile We got it when we purchased the Alaskan Territories

Now here is something worth investigating. I constantly hear from Ukrainians that Alaska wasn't bought... but leased! Now I wish I could find more information about that. Imagine a Soviet Alaska with stockpiles of ballistic missiles? Now THAT would have really been interesting.

It was leased for about 100 years or so, meaning Russia would regain control of it. When the Czars fell, and Russia was under new "management" all past deals were broken. So Russia lost a valuable piece of territory and the US. was one step closer to manifest destiny.

Ask and you shall recieve. The treaty is at the Library of Congress and can seen here on line. It was even written in French on the North American side to make sure there was no confusion on either side.

Nonetheless ... I can NOT argue with Comrade vitaliy... he's right - Russia got robbed. And there are STILL some very nice Onion Dome structures in Northern California... I think we should give the whole thing back.

It definitely wasn't US territory then; when the Russians colonized that area, it was setted by the Pomo Indians, who were good basket makers apparently.
If you expect the US to give back Northern California and Alaska, you might as well ask the US to give back the Louisiana Purchase to France, the American Southwest to Mexico, etc.
But this has no direct relation nor analogy to US troops in Russia during the Russian Civil War.

Nonetheless ... I can NOT argue with Comrade vitaliy... he's right - Russia got robbed.

I disagree. The Russians only started colonising Alaska in the late 18th century, and they quickly realised that they had overextended themselves. The fur trade they had tried to develop met with stiff competition from British and American fur traders. Food was scarce and Russian supply centres too far away, and the natives were often well-armed and hostile. The decision to sell was actually quite sensible, given the circumstances of the time. Besides, if the British or Americans had decided to simply seize Alaska by military force, how on earth could Russia have stopped them? The Russians decided that it was inevitable that they were going to lose Alaska soon anyway, one way or the other, and they may as well at least get something for it. In fact, it was the Russians who got the best of the deal at the time; Tsar Alexander II was willing to sell for as little as $5 million, and in the event America paid $7.2 million, a considerable fortune in those days, and more than Alaska was considered to be worth. In fact, the sale of Alaska was just as controversial in America as it was in Russia at the time.

Of course, once the industrialised world became dependent on oil, and vast reserves were discovered in Alaska, and then the October Revolution happened and the Cold War began, then the situation changed utterly, and the sale of Alaska began to seem like a dreadful mistake. But nobody could possibly have foreseen these developments in 1867.

"Comrade Lenin left us a great legacy, and we fucкed it up." - Josef Stalin